Upside Down
by MidnightThief15
Summary: During a summer vacation in the Caribbean with the Cullens, things go very wrong for Bella. Or maybe they are finally going very right.
1. Chapter 1

Isabella Swan stared wistfully out at the waves as they rolled onto the white beach from inside of the condo that the Cullens were renting for summer vacation. She had heard of their plans to take a break and head down to the Caribbean for the summer, and had been invited along. She had, of course, literally jumped—before landing with her foot and her leg going opposite directions, resulting in her twisting her ankle, for which she had just gotten the cast off of the previous week—at the opportunity to go somewhere warm and _sunny_. Oh how she had missed the sun.

However, she had not anticipated this. No, she was not outside enjoying the sunshine and the warm, clear water like the rest of the tourists. She was supposed to be "resting," for as soon as the sun went down, the entire Cullen clan would head down to the beach, and the real fun would begin.

Of course, Bella was not allowed to play with the other children—she thought rather snidely—because she could "so easily break." So she had to either stay on the sand or let the waves reach no further than just past her ankles.

She had _not_ expected this when she had been invited along. Especially not after Edward, Alice, and Emmett kept saying how much fun it was going to be.

Oh yeah, big fun right here. She was certainly the life of the party.

Bella turned away from the window and yawned loudly, tired from the previous nights of no sleep. She had crashed onto her bed this morning once they had all gone back inside, and had surprisingly fallen right asleep, even though Emmett was making the most noise imaginable that one vampire could make. Edward, Volturi, Newborns, step aside. Emmett was sure to be the death of her instead, all by himself.

Bella stood up and stretched, hearing her shoulders, arms, and knees pop as she did so. She turned back to look out the window just in time to see a guy chasing a girl down the beach, before finally reaching her and grabbing her by the waist, twirling her around while she laughed and swatted him on the shoulder.

Not being able to watch any longer, Bella turned away and headed toward the stairs. She couldn't help the blip of jealousy bubbling up. Edward never was like that with her, carefree and rough. She was just so "fragile."

Bella slammed her door, not caring who heard. Well she was tired of being fragile and of not being able to have any fun. Edward refused to change her—it was her life! She should be able to choose what to do with it. But no! It was always Edward behind the scenes, pulling at the strings of her great puppet show, and it seemed that she was the only participant.

No Bella, you can't be friends with Jacob; I don't trust him. No Bella, you can't go out with your friends if I'm not there too. No Bella, we can't go out to the park, it's too sunny. No Bella, we can't kiss, I'll lose control. No Bella, you can't spend the night—what would your father think? No Bella, I'm not going to change you, I don't want you to lose your soul like I have.

Well what did he expect her to do? Just sit back and be happy when she was old and ugly and wrinkly and he was still gorgeous and young?

Bella hadn't even been realizing that she was crying until a tear went inside her mouth and she tasted its saltiness. She was shocked and horrified by her thoughts, and buried herself under her covers. She ignored the knocks on the door by Edward, asking if she was alright.

I love you, Bella, and I will for as long as I live, but I don't want to turn you into a vampire and take away your humanity.

A sob shook Bella and a chill ran down her spine, leaving her feet cold.

_I love you, Bella, but I don't want to spend all of eternity with you._

He had never said that, but he might as well have.

And here she was, lying in her bed, crying while outside it was sunny and people were laughing and having fun.

Bella wiped away her tears and waited until her sobs subsided before sliding out of bed and placing her cold feet on the even colder wooden floors, sending goose-bumps up her legs and down her arms.

Bella made her decision quickly as she walked over to the wardrobe she had in place of a closet. Opening up a drawer, she cringed as she pulled out one of the bikinis that Alice had bought her before the trip.

She turned to the mirror in the room and held the top up to her body. She wasn't heavily endowed, that was for sure, but she was certainly bustier than Alice, who could wear something like this easily. She said it was the most modest bikini she could find. Bella didn't want to think about what the others looked like then, if this was the best.

It was emerald green, matching the bottoms. Alice told her it would compliment her brown hair and brown eyes, and Bella had to admit that it did look sort of nice with them. But it would be shining like a beacon against her pale skin.

Emmett's booming laughter resounded throughout the condo, and her eyes narrowed. All right then, let her shine. She would take twisted pleasure in telling Edward that no, she would not change—because she knew what he would say already. He wouldn't want anybody but him to see her so…out there. And right now, she was tired to doing what her boyfriend wanted.

After she had changed into the bikini, the first thing Bella noticed was that she was freezing. The second was that she didn't look too bad in it. She ruffled her hair a little and put her hands on her hips. Okay, so she didn't have Rosalie's figure, but she still looked rather nice.

There was a knock on the door, and Bella jumped before scrambling to put a long gray T-shirt over her body to cover it. "Yeah?" she called out, her heart pounding loudly.

"Bella, Carlisle and I are going to go visit a friend. He lives on the other side of the island, and since it's daytime we're going to be driving. The others are staying here. Will you be alright?" Edward asked from outside the door.

No, Bella thought as she glared at the door, I'm going to wither away without your constant attention.

"Don't worry, I'll be great." She told him.

"I'll call you when I get there. Just let Esme know if you need anything." He said.

Bella wanted to tell him that she already knew that. She wanted to tell him that it was safe for _her_ to leave the house and get something if she needed it. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't some little child that had to be looked after.

But she remembered that he only said the things he did because he cared about her and wanted her to be safe and happy. He was always thinking about her.

She sighed. "I will. I hope you and Carlisle have fun." Bella said in a softer voice.

"Thanks. Could you come out and say goodbye?"

"I'm not really decent at the moment."

"Okay. Have a good time. I'll see you soon."

"Bye," she replied, and then it was silent. She waited two more minutes before grabbing a towel from inside the wardrobe and dashing down the stairs, careful not to miss a step.

Bella felt bad for how she was acting, how she was treating Edward, and for her thoughts. She didn't want to dwell on them and make herself feel even worse. A swim would be good—even if it would be alone.

When she got downstairs she saw that Emmett was watching some sports game on the TV while Alice and Rosalie looked through a fashion magazine together. Jasper was watching the game as well, but wasn't nearly as interested as Emmett. Esme was studying a local cuisine cookbook, ever the good host. And though she'd never said it, Bella could tell that cooking made her happy, even if she couldn't eat it. It brought back a piece of her human life.

Jasper was the first to notice that Bella was heading toward the door, but he didn't say anything, which she thought was a bit odd. But he'd always respected others' privacy. His wife, however, was a different story.

"Bella!" Alice said, all hyper and smiles. "Where are you headed?"

Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was going to go down to the beach."

"By yourself?" Alice looked troubled at this. Bella appreciated the Cullen family. They were always looking out for her. But she wanted to have fun, and if that meant having it without them, then so be it.

"Yeah," she replied. When Alice's expression didn't change, Bella continued, "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," Alice replied uneasily.

Smiling, Bella nodded and waved to her. "I'll be back before you know it."

Once she was outside, Bella took a deep breath of the sea air. The condo was right on the beach. She walked down to the water, clutching her towel to her. There were so many people. Would she be able to take off her T-shirt?

When she reached near the water, she began toying with the hem of her shirt. No one would probably look. No one would even notice her. With that thought, she laid her towel down on the sand and took off her shirt, dropping it on the towel. She nervously looked around, and indeed no one was watching her.

The water was warm, and she could see down to the bottom. She was excited as she waded further down into it, past the kiddy-pool restrictions set to her when she was with the Cullens at night. The water was at her knees when she noticed people were starting to go in. Sunset would be soon, and they were heading off to eat at the many restaurants surrounding the area.

Bella tilted her head back and smiled at the sky. It was so beautiful.

When sunset started, she was lying on her towel, getting what little sunlight was left. The sand was hot to the touch, and after a while it felt relaxing. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Forks would be a dismal place after this.

"It sure is quiet out here."

Bella squinted her eyes open and looked to her left. Spread out on the sand beside her was Emmett.

"It was," she told him before propping up on her elbows and searching for the rest of his family. But Emmett seemed to be the only one with her. And now the beach was nearly empty. There were a few stragglers, too far away to see them, and too focused on the sunset or something else to notice Emmett's skin.

"Jasper said you wanted to be alone," Emmett confessed after Bella had lied back down again, "so everyone decided to stay inside." Bella smiled at Jasper's kind gesture. "But I thought you might be lonely, out here by yourself. No one wants to be alone unless something's bothering them."

He turned to lie on his side so he could face her and propped himself up with an elbow, resting his head in his hand. It was then that Bella noticed that she had never seen him in the sun before—well, maybe she had, but she'd been to preoccupied with Edward to remember—and his skin glistened nicely in the sunset. And she also noticed that he was only wearing swim trunks.

Bella couldn't stop her eyes from wandering the length of him. She couldn't tell if she had even tried not to, actually. His body was certainly something to behold. It was a perfect hero from ancient paintings and statues. Emmett's chuckle brought her back up to his eyes. He was smiling, and his eyebrows were waggling up and down. Bella felt her face and neck grow warmer.

"Don't be embarrassed," he told her, still smiling. Bella could tell he was amused. "I won't hold this," here he gestured to his body, "against you." She was more embarrassed, though, because that sounded like an innuendo. She didn't do well with innuendos. "Honestly," Emmett continued on, laying on his back once more and resting his head in his hands, "I don't know how you've managed to resist me for so long."

Bella rolled her eyes. She could hear the joking tone in his voice. But she didn't remove her eyes from him. He was sort of mesmerizing, like Edward. She wasn't sure if it was because he was a vampire, because of the air that surrounded him, or because of his body. She was ashamed to think it might be the last one. But who would be able to blame her for that?

"Guess Edward must have you captivated with his pretty-boy face and charming personality."

"Yeah," Bella said absentmindedly. "He's a gentleman." She didn't feel like thinking or talking about her boyfriend right now.

"Did you come out here to swim?"

Seeing this as almost an invitation to remove the sudden awkwardness she was feeling, Bella stood and adjusted her bikini self-consciously, feeling nervous all over again now that Emmett was here. After all, she was no Rosalie.

Bella walked down to the water. She turned around to face him when she was ankle-deep. "Aren't you going to come too?"

Emmett was sitting up, and he grinned at her. "The view's pretty good from here." Bella thought he meant the actual scenic view, until she realized that he was staring at only her.

Turning away from him quickly, Bella's breath evolved rapidly, and she walked further into the water.

He shouldn't affect her so much. He was just joking around, being his usual self. He didn't mean anything he said seriously. She was overreacting. Besides, she had an amazing, wonderful boyfriend who loved her. And although she was a little miffed at him at the moment, she loved him as well. And Emmett was married to what could be a supermodel.

Bella was letting her hormones run away with her, like the silly teenage girl that she was.

She was almost to her shoulders in water when she suddenly found her foot tangled in seaweed. Bella groaned and tugged on her leg. She was about to yelp but slid under before a sound came out.

It was less clear under the water now that she was further out. She found the offending seaweed and struggled to free herself from it, but it had found a way to knot itself up, and it was too thick and wet to tear. Bella was going to go back to the surface, because she was running out of oxygen, but now only her eyes could get out of the water. She didn't tip her head back for fear that water would flood her nose, and so she went back under to work at the knots again.

And then there were larger, stronger hands pushing hers away, before they skillfully ripped the seaweed from her skin and pulled her up to the top.

Bella took several large breaths and rubbed her eyes. Emmett's hands were steady on her upper arms. He didn't expect it when she hugged him, pressing her wet head against his equally wet chest. It didn't take a second for him to wrap his cold arms around her in return, though.

"Thank you," Bella breathed out. She repeated it several times. Her head bobbled from the laughter bubbling in his chest.

"We can't trust you to be alone for three minutes."

She pushed herself away from him, glaring at him. He continued to grin, and she gave up. She was never a good glarer anyways. Intimidation—especially when with vampires—was not her thing.

Bella wrapped her arms around her chest, glad that the water was so warm, because Emmett's cold hands were on her shoulders.

"Please don't tell anyone." She said. "Please don't think about it. I don't want Edward to know."

Emmett lifted an eyebrow, "Because then you won't even be allowed to get your feet wet."

She nodded; glad he was able to peace two and two together. He'd proved that he wasn't a Neanderthal a long time ago, but he still had his moments. Mostly, he was so goofy and silly that it was impossible to take anything he said seriously or regard it as smart. There was a look on his face, though, that made her think perhaps he was more intelligent than she had guessed.

A coldness filled Bella—something colder than Emmett's hands. It was fury. She'd always thought it'd be hot like lava, not something that chilled her to the bone. But it did, and she got goose bumps on her arms. "This is ridiculous!" she stated. "When did I hand over my life to Edward? _Allowed_? That's just it though—I'm not allowed to do anything! And if I am, he has to be there with me. He doesn't seem to realize that I've survived my first eighteen years without him. I know how to live and take care of myself!"

And then she was crying. And she was still standing waist-deep in the water, and she was cold, and the sun had set, and she was miserable, and she was embarrassed because she was acting so emotional in front of carefree Emmett. And she was just tired of it all.

Why couldn't life be simpler?

Emmett pulled her back into his arms and she wrapped hers around him, crying into his chest. He stroked her back; his hands calloused. They sent shivers down her spine, his touch far different from Edward's gentle, feather-light caresses.

"It's not fair how he treats you." Emmett agreed, and Bella blinked her tears back in surprise. Sometimes she'd catch the expressions on some of the other Cullens when Edward would say or do things. Sometimes they'd object to something. But they'd never voiced their thoughts as clearly as Emmett had.

The cold arms around Bella tightened, and her heart began beating faster, her breath coming out quicker onto Emmett's sculpted chest.

"You are not his equal," the words were spoken right into her ear, causing Bella to fidget. She'd never been this close with anyone other than Edward. Not on an intimate level, at least.

She knew she wasn't equal with Edward. She'd always known that. She'd often had fears that he'd find a beautiful vampire, and he'd change his mind. When he had left her for so many months after her birthday, she'd thought maybe he'd gone and done just that. Maybe he'd left her for someone he wouldn't have to worry about, someone he wouldn't have to be so careful around. Rosalie was always around him, and she was meant for him. Surely the temptation would grow to be too much some day, and he'd cave.

Bella shoved herself out of Emmett's arms.

No. Edward and Rosalie wouldn't have an affair. Rosalie loved Emmett, and he loved her. Bella couldn't imagine anyone breaking Emmett's heart. She didn't want to. And no, she shouldn't be thinking these thoughts about Edward. He was a good man. He wouldn't cheat on her or do something so foul. But that didn't stop the nagging in her brain that said it wouldn't be impossible. Why should he settle for her, when he could have so much more?

"I should go back in," Bella whispered. She didn't move, though.

"You don't have to be afraid." Emmett told her. "Edward's not here."

Bella shook her head. She wasn't afraid of Edward. She wasn't.

Was she?

She was afraid of losing him. That was all. There was no other fear.

Bella tried to get around Emmett's large frame, but he wouldn't let her.

"What about what you said?" he argued, suddenly angry. Was Bella afraid now? She couldn't tell. "What about your problems with him?"

She was weak in her reply. "There aren't any problems. Everything's fine."

"Then what was that?"

"It was…" the fury had left her as swiftly as it had entered. It never lasted long. "I don't know. It was nothing. It was just me rambling about nothing."

She tried again, and again Emmett blocked her. He wrapped his hand around her wrist. "It wasn't nothing!" he was exasperated. "You let Edward control your life! Why?"

"This isn't any of your business!" she shouted at him, angry again. Why was she angry? She didn't know. There was so much going on in her, she wasn't sure of anything at the moment. Except that she felt like crying again.

"Well I'm making it my business!" Emmett replied with as much ferocity in his voice. It was something new to Bella. Neither Edward nor Jacob raised their voices to her. Good or bad, this was something different. "I'm tired of watching how he treats you."

"Then look the other way!" This wasn't like her. Bella would never say mean things like this. She'd never shout at someone in anger.

So then why was she?

"You deserve better!"

Bella froze. She just stared at him. She knew what she wanted to say—that they didn't come any better than Edward. That Edward was better than she had ever dreamed for. That he was the one who deserved better. But they froze as well.

Emmett pulled her closer to him again, and she let him. She didn't know why. Maybe she wanted to hear what else he had to say; because maybe it was about time she heard those words. She'd wanted to hear such positive words for so long. And maybe, when they came from Edward, they just weren't enough. Not anymore.

She stood in Emmett's arms for a moment or two. They just stared at each other. His eyes almost seemed to glow in the near darkness.

"Who are you without Edward?" he whispered. And he sounded so sad that Bella nearly felt bad for _him_, even though they were talking about _her_.

But she felt even sadder still, because she had no answer.

* * *

><p><strong>Probably my favorite pairing from Twilight. I just love Emmett, and there aren't enough good stories about him and Bella. This will be a short fic, with only a few chapters. Hope you enjoy it. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Bella lied under the covers and stared at the wall to her left. Her hair was still damp from the ocean water, but she was surprised when Alice had not protested that she dry it. Of course they had heard, with their vampire super-senses and all. And Edward would find out everything from their minds.

Emmett had finally let her pass. He had stormed into the house a minute after her. And then he went hunting with Jasper and their mates. Esme was downstairs, perhaps reading a cookbook.

Bella couldn't understand why Emmett was all worked up over it. Why should he care? He had his own beautiful wife to think about, why did he bother to get involved in her relationship?

Their meeting still haunted her, and she longed for sleep to wash it away. Emmett had asked her what she was without Edward. But she was nothing without him, she knew that from those long, lonely months. She had withered away.

Now, his love is what kept her going. She lived for him.

Was that so bad?

And now that she thought about it, how hungry was Emmett when they had been outside? It could have been dangerous. She knew he wouldn't hurt her on purpose, but when a vampire was angry and hungry, anything could happen. He shouldn't have gotten so close to her if he was hungry.

She vaguely remembered that Edward hadn't called like he said he would. Or maybe he had while she'd been out, and Esme took it. She was glad he hadn't raced right back just because she didn't answer it. She didn't think she could talk to him properly at the moment, what with her mind so consumed elsewhere.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut when she heard footsteps outside her door. It creaked open, and she pretended to be asleep.

"Do you want to talk, Bella?" Esme asked kindly. "I know you're awake."

"No," Bella whispered.

"We're all worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't feel fine." Esme said.

Bella groaned. Jasper!

"Maybe you'd feel better if you got it off your chest."

"Didn't you hear?" Bella asked glumly, "I already did."

"Not everything. May I come in?"

Bella did not reply, and so Esme entered. She sat on the bed beside Bella.

"Emmett said I shouldn't be with Edward." Bella said, summing it up. "He had no right to say anything about my relationship, let alone insult it."

"He's just concerned, although he might have shown it in a better way…" Esme said.

"There's no reason anyone should be concerned. I'm happy. Isn't that enough?" Bella asked.

"You know boys. They can never leave well-enough alone. And if they don't understand something, they have to pick it apart until they do." Esme sighed.

"I love Edward. There's nothing else to it. It's not some complicated puzzle or equation that needs solving."

"Why do you love him?" Esme said. But Bella was silent for a couple minutes, trying to think of what to say. Why did she love him? She bit her lip in contemplation.

Bella turned around, but Esme was gone, and she was left to think of the reason why she loved Edward. It shouldn't have been hard, but somewhere along the way it had become that, without her even realizing it.

And it left Bella feeling even worse. Why was everyone suddenly against her?

* * *

><p>Bella woke up sometime around four-thirty. She got up and trudged down the stairs, not caring that her hair was probably a nest since she hadn't brushed it last night after coming in from the beach.<p>

Emmett was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, but everyone else seemed to be gone.

She turned into the kitchen, not interested in striking up a conversation with the stubborn vampire.

"They're outside in the water." Emmett told her, his eyes still on the TV.

"Why aren't you with them?" Bella asked as she got out some cereal and a bowl.

"Didn't feel like it." He turned off the TV and came over to the kitchen as Bella poured some milk. She inwardly groaned.

Emmett unexpectedly laughed. Bella looked up at him in surprise. His eyebrows rose as he looked at her. "Alice would die if she saw that thing on top of your head."

Bella touched her hair. "I'm sure she would." She dug out a spoon and started eating.

While bringing the spoon to her lips for the third bite, Emmett suddenly appeared right beside her and guided her hand to his mouth instead. He chewed and swallowed, licking his lips.

"Yummy," he said, grinning.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"No, really," Emmett said, "That's some good stuff you got there."

"Ha ha," Bella said dryly, staring flatly at him. She brought another spoonful up to her mouth, but again it was rerouted.

Emmett made a show of rubbing his stomach after he swallowed. "Mmmm."

Bella sighed. "Emmett, are you trying to prove something here? Because if you are, it'd be great if you could tell me what it is."

"No point," Emmett defended. "Just enjoying myself some cereal."

"Then get your own bowl," Bella told him before walking toward the table and sitting down at it.

"But you took the last of it." Emmett complained as he followed her.

Bella groaned and felt like hitting her head against the table. "Fine, have mine then." She said, pushing her bowl toward him.

"What if I don't want it now?"

She stood up. "Then what _do_ you want?" She asked, wondering why he was intent on bugging her like this.

The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in Emmett's arms and he was kissing her. It wasn't gentle or careful like Edward's. It was strong and urgent and passionate, his arms squeezing her almost uncomfortably. Her lips felt like they were bruising, but she liked it. She liked actually feeling something, being with someone who wasn't afraid to touch her.

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his lips even closer. She didn't really think about it, think about whom it was she was kissing. It just felt so good that she didn't want to stop.

He shoved her onto the table, toppling the cereal over, its contents spilling out onto the floor. He stood in between her legs, his hands tangling in the mess of her hair. Bella pulled at his shirt, wanting it off of him, needing to feel his glorious torso.

Her lips broke apart from his so she could gasp in air. She opened her heavy eyes. And then she realized what had happened.

It was Emmett standing there, looking at her lustfully. Emmett, with his hands still in her hair, his hips spreading her legs apart. She looked at her hands fisted on his shirt. It had ripped a little at her pulling.

It took a minute for her brain to comprehend what had happened, for her mind to wake back up again.

She had just made out with her boyfriend's brother.

And it had felt so _good._ Great, even. Fantastic. Divine.

Bella groaned and leaned her forehead on Emmett's shoulder. His hands disentangled themselves out of her hair somehow and wrapped around her waist, bringing her flush against him, her legs spreading even farther.

"This didn't happen," Bella whispered to him, still trying to regain her breath. But her heart was beating a hundred times a second. It would beat right out of her chest. It would jumpstart Emmett's heart.

"It did." He told her softly.

"No, it couldn't have. It didn't."

"Bella," Emmett said.

She groaned in frustration and anger. She leaned her head away from him. "How could you do this?" Bella growled at him, tears springing to her eyes. "How could you kiss me? How could I kiss you back?" A sob wracked her body. "I'm such a slut!"

"You are _not_ a slut." Emmett said, getting angry too.

"Yes I am!" Bella cried. "I just made out with you, and I have a boyfriend. You have a wife! I'm a home-wrecker!"

"Stop it!"

"I can't!" she said. "Everything's ruined now!"

Emmett's large cold hands settled on her cheeks, moving her face up so she would look at him directly. "No it's not," he told her, his voice so optimistic.

"Edward will find out. He'll hear your mind and he'll find out. Rosalie and the others probably already heard everything." Bella said, tears leaking from her eyes. They bumped off of Emmett's fingers.

"The others are a long way down the beach. They didn't hear anything. And I'll keep my mind busy, I'll think about other things. We all learned how to block Edward out fairly early." Emmett reassured her, his thumbs stroking the tears away.

"That's not the point!" Bella shouted, watching as he winced at her volume. "The point is that I_ cheated_ on my _loving_ boyfriend. I've ruined our relationship. I'll have to tell him, and he'll hate me."

"Would you stop blaming yourself for everything all the time?" Emmett shouted back. "Stop putting him on a pedestal and worshipping him! He's not perfect!"

"I don't worship him!" Bella's voice grew quieter, "I just love him."

Emmett distanced himself from her, taking a few steps back. His gaze was stony, his face dead serious. It made Bella's heart beat in a sickening way in her chest. "You're not equal to him." He said, echoing his words from yesterday evening in the water.

Bella shook her head. It hurt for him to say that—it would hurt for anyone to say that. But she knew it was true. It needed to be said by someone. "I know." She whispered. "I know I'm not. And now, after this, I don't deserve him."

"Haven't you listened to anything I've said lately?" Emmett asked, and Bella couldn't look at him any more. Everything was just becoming too much. "You're not his equal because you are better than him." Bella shook her head, tears coming down once more, but Emmett continued on. "You love him more than he could love you. It's because no matter what happens, he'll always be afraid of hurting you, of breaking you."

"He's being considerate and concerned." Bella murmured.

"He's being condescending and controlling!" Emmett argued. "You don't want to be treated like a porcelain doll, kept tucked away behind a glass wall, having to watch the world from a safe distance."

Bella bristled. How dare he tell her what she wanted! She would say something, too, if he wasn't completely right. How did he know all this? Was it obvious? Could everyone but Edward see right through her?

"You use 'love' as an explanation for all his actions, as a dismissal for all the things he does that you don't like. We've all seen it, how you have to push all your friends to the side for him. We know you have human friends, and what about Jacob? Don't you miss him? Isn't his friendship worth something to you?"

"Of course it is!" Bella defended. "Jacob's my best friend!"

"Then why do you always obey Edward when he tells you not to see him?" Emmett countered.

Bella paused, and Emmett took the opening, "It's because you're so scared that you'll lose Edward that you comply to his every word, and you let him treat you like he owns you. You don't make any decisions for yourself," Emmett said. Bella wiped at her tears with her hands. "You just let Edward rule the world."

"Please," Bella said, hating the way her voice cracked, "just stop."

She was surprised when Emmett did. When he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, waiting for whatever was going to come.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "Why are you saying all these things?"

"Because they're things you need to hear, whether you want to or not."

Bella licked her lips. "Why are you so intent on being the one to tell me then, all of a sudden? Why bother?"

Emmett didn't reply, and Bella decided she wanted to crawl back under her covers and go to sleep. It would be easier to escape this world, to never have to open her eyes again.

She slid off the table and adjusted her shirt before walking toward the stairs. Emmett wrapped his arm around the front of her shoulders and stopped her.

He studied her for a moment, as she stared straight ahead.

Emmett leaned in close and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Because _I_ love you." He dropped his arm, and Bella robotically walked up the stairs, closed her door, and climbed into her bed.

She stared at the ceiling. How could he love her? Why would he when he had Rosalie? Oh no, Rosalie. Would she be devastated? She would hate Bella more than ever.

When did things become so complicated? Had Emmett always felt this way, and she was too blinded by Edward to notice anything else? Why did all these guys like her so much? Edward, Jacob, now Emmett… She didn't see any reason behind it. It just didn't make sense.

It was one thing for her to think bad thoughts about Edward, to quietly analyze their relationship. But last night was the first time she had ever voiced her frustration about his character. And now, hearing Emmett so intensely deter her from Edward was too much.

Sleep. She needed sleep. Everything would be better when she woke up. Emmett would realize that he'd made a mistake, and he'd either apologize or pretend it never happened. And she would either forget his words and his kiss, or pretend that they never happened as well.

For some reason, she felt like crying at the thought of it.

The world had turned upside down at the blink of an eye. And she couldn't even remember what right-side up felt like anymore.

* * *

><p>Bella lied in bed for hours, trying to fall back asleep. But the release would not come to her, so she just stared at the wall.<p>

After a while, her eyes got tired. But she just kept on staring. Thoughts had left her mind long ago, and it was all just blank.

She looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly nine. Groaning, she got out of bed and looked at the adjacent bathroom. She needed to do something about the ratted hair bunched up on her head. She pulled some clothes out of the wardrobe and set them on the bed, grabbing a bath towel as well.

Right before Bella was going to go in, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor near her closed door.

Curious, she picked it up. The handwriting was messy, but still legible.

It made her feel like hiding under her covers once more. It made her so confused; so conflicted. She knew whom it was from. And he was without a doubt going to be the death of her after all.

_What we love isn't always best for us._

* * *

><p><strong>It was a pretty short kiss, but I hope you still enjoyed the chapter. :) Reviews are appreciated!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Bella was surprised by how easily the others were indeed able to block their minds from Edward. He had come back, smiling from the encounter with an old friend, and hadn't jumped on her right away with accusations. She could tell he was beginning to get suspicious by the strange thoughts going through the heads of the others—some thoughts were so out there that they practically tipped him off that something had happened or was going on. But what it was, he didn't know. And whatever it was, she didn't think he cared too much.

He was so kind, he would never come to the hasty conclusion that his girlfriend made-out with his sort-of brother.

All this made Bella feel sick with guilt. If she felt like this after kissing Emmett once, she couldn't imagine how it would feel to go further or do more. Maybe after a while, people got used to it, or stopped feeling it. She couldn't imagine getting used to this heavy guilt. It was very hard to ignore, as well.

Their last week in the Caribbean passed by quicker than Bella expected. She avoided Emmett like the plague, and was grateful when he gave no physical reasons for Edward to suspect something. She had been able to hide the bruises on her lips by borrowing some of Alice's makeup.

They were currently all outside in the moonlight, Bella and Edward sitting on the sand, the rest in the water. Emmett and Alice were surfing, and trying to teach it to Jasper. It was rather amusing to Bella to see a vampire not be good at something. Jasper kept falling off, and swearing because of it. Everyone was having a pretty good laugh from that.

Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were tossing a volleyball around, about thigh-deep in the water.

Bella looked down at her hand, intertwined with Edward's. He squeezed her fingers gently and she looked up to see him smiling. She bit her lip.

"You should go join them," Bella said, nodding over toward the three hitting the volleyball. "Then they could play a game."

"Is that okay with you?" Edward asked, unsure. He didn't like abandoning Bella all by herself.

She rolled her eyes. "Seeing as I'm the one who suggested it, yes. Go have fun with them."

Edward nodded. He kissed her lightly on her lips before getting up and walking into the water. Bella was disappointed in the gentle contact.

Alice started laughing, and Bella's turned in her direction in time to see Emmett fall off his board. Jasper started laughing now too.

When Emmett's head breached the surface, his eyes found Bella's instantly. She felt her face heat up and turned her attention to the water volleyball game starting.

Emmett glared at Jasper. "Shut up."

"Serves you right," Jasper replied.

The burly vampire groaned. Why did this dynamic duo have to exist? Alice could see into the future, and Jasper could read emotions. They were both out to torment him.

Bella ignored the three as best she could, but when Edward's head snapped toward Emmett, her body filled with dread. Had Emmett fallen off his board because he'd seen them kiss? Was his mind now filled with thoughts that would betray them both?

Even in the moonlight, she could see Edward's stance go rigid. Yes, yes he had.

"Edward," Alice warned, "don't do anything stupid." Which meant that he was about to.

Everyone stopped and stared at Edward. Bella could see poor Carlisle, the only one ignorant to what had transpired during his and Edward's absence. Despite his lack of knowledge, though, he looked ready to get in between the two glaring vampires at any second.

"Don't you dare think about her like that," Edward growled.

Emmett raised his chin smugly. Bella wanted to scream at him for having too much manly pride to back down. "Those aren't thoughts. They're _memories._"

And suddenly Carlisle was holding Edward back and Jasper looked deep in concentration, trying to calm Edward down.

But Edward was nearly roaring in anger. This wasn't the amusement he felt at Jacob kissing Bella, because she had resisted and tried to punch him. This was the pure desire to kill Emmett, because she had responded. Emmett's kiss was traitorous.

"Edward, people are going to hear. Control yourself." Esme scolded.

"Oh, I will." Edward snarled. "After Emmett's body stops twitching."

Bella's body went cold. This was too serious. She needed to get over there. Maybe she'd get hurt, but she needed to try to stop this.

She rose and ran into the water, only the women turning to stare at her.

"Bella," Alice said, suddenly right in front of her now. "This is dangerous. Please, go back."

Had she seen a vision of something bad happening to Bella? But it didn't matter; Bella's mind was made up. Her sense of self-preservation had always been rather low, anyways.

Bella moved past Alice, but the pixie girl grabbed on to her forearm and wouldn't release it.

"I have to try, Alice," she told the girl.

Alice entered into a trance, and her grip went slack. Bella pulled out of it while she was distracted and sloshed the rest of the way to Edward and Carlisle.

"Bella," Carlisle warned carefully, his eyes glued to Edward, where he was still struggling to restrain him.

"Edward?" Bella asked quietly, ignoring Carlisle.

Her boyfriend's attention hesitantly transferred from Emmett to her. It nearly broke Bella's heart to see the hurt on his face.

"He forced you." Edward told her. "You were drunk. You were sleepwalking. You needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation." His words came out faster, rambling, desperate. "_He _needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. You hit your head and got amnesia. You were about to die from frost-bite and he was keeping you warm and alive." It was hard for her to watch him, to hear him plead with her that something other than the truth had happened. His theories were getting ridiculous. "It was a dare?"

Bella moved closer and stood right in front of him. She grabbed his hand, and laced her fingers through it.

"No, Edward," she said softly, staring straight into his golden eyes. "It wasn't any of those."

"Then why? Why would you do this to me?"

"I—" Whatever she was going to say, it didn't matter, because Edward's head turned roughly to face Emmett once more, as he heard something no one else could.

She wondered why Emmett was doing this. Throwing caution to the wind and ruining their lives.

Edward's eyes slid back to meet Bella's. His voice was dangerously low, "Is that why? You were bored with me? Tired of safety and life?"

It was amazing how much Emmett had noticed Bella, how much he had paid attention. She'd never realized he was doing it, but somehow he knew more of the inner workings of her mind than Edward.

Bella was trying to think of the right answer. A way to beg Edward's forgiveness and give excuses why she had returned Emmett's kiss, promising that she would never do anything to hurt him again. As long as he would take her back, because she needed him. She loved him, more than anything. He was her whole world, her sun and moon and stars.

A certain coldness spread through Bella's body, something akin to realization. And she stared into Edward's eyes as he patiently waited for an answer, waited for exactly what she had been planning to say. He was waiting for her to grovel.

And something wasn't right about that. Something in the back of Bella's heart stirred. She had always hidden it behind her immeasurable love for the vampire. And she was disturbed that the feeling was in her heart and yet not in her mind, because her thoughts were always only for Edward, she would always tell herself things and make herself believe them. But it was true that you couldn't fool your heart.

It had been a whirlwind, a rush ever since they had first met. They had moved so fast, already promising each other love and forever before she had really known everything about him. A part of her felt indebted to him, because he had saved her so many times. But she had never truly forgotten when he had left her, and then gone to Italy to get himself killed.

And as he still waited, Bella wondered what had happened to her. In Phoenix she had been so levelheaded and rational. It was like she was under a spell as soon as her eyes found his in the cafeteria. And ever since, the smart Isabella Swan from Arizona had gone, disappeared somewhere into the infinite space between her head and her heart.

Had she ever really even loved him all that much? Or had she just tricked herself into believing it, because it sounded so wonderful? But it was wrong to think of one person as being her life. It was wrong how instantly she had forgiven him after all those months of depression when he had left. It was wrong how she dropped everything for him, all the time. Her family, her friends, her wants, her dreams. She put them all in his open hands, allowing him to do with them what he wished.

It was wrong to love him leaps more than Charlie and Renee, and Jacob and the La Push wolf pack, and her ignorant human friends. Those were some great people, and they all cared about her.

Bella shivered violently in the cold water, as she knew what she had to do. Because it was wrong for her being to revolve around his. And it was impossible for him to ever change, though maybe he would try. But that just wasn't enough. Not anymore. She wanted an equal, not an idol. She didn't want to have to worry about him leaving her for someone more worthy, more glamorous, or beautiful, or intelligent, or graceful. She didn't want to feel insignificant in comparison to him, always doubting herself and questioning why he would love a plain girl like her.

She wanted to be comfortable in her own skin.

"I've never wanted to hurt you," Bella told Edward carefully. "You've been the most important person to me for years now. But in loving you, somehow I stopped loving myself. And that's just not right. I'm not supposed to feel inferior to my own boyfriend, but I do. And you don't seem to want to change that, to help me."

There was more Bella wanted to say, but it seemed Edward didn't want to hear any more.

"You're breaking up with me." Edward said, like so many others have said before him, in movies and books and plays and real life.

And she was. Because this wasn't the kind of romance she had pictured when she was a child. It wasn't healthy. It belonged inside the safe pages of a book instead of right in front of her.

"I really am sorry." Sorry she was hurting him, but not sorry she was saving herself.

Edward's face morphed from one of shock to one of anger. And Bella honestly felt scared. "You have no right! I've done so many things for you, protected you from death countless times! And you just woke up one day and thought, hey, let me show my gratitude to my boyfriend by breaking up with him."

"This is about me!" Bella cried in frustration. "My whole life has been about you since I met you. But for once I'm thinking about me!"

His eyes were nearly black, and as he raced towards her, she really thought she was going to die. She was expecting it.

So Bella was surprised when Edward was flung out into the deep water far from them. She'd only heard the splash, because Emmett's large frame was blocking her view of most everything.

She peered around him to see Edward coming back. Rosalie and Carlisle moved to grab an arm each, and Jasper was in deep concentration close to them, sending as much calm feelings toward the raging vampire as he could. Alice stood behind Edward, holding on to his waist to further prevent him from reaching Bella or Emmett.

But what astonished Bella the most was that Esme—kind, warm, loving Esme—was shouting as loud as she dared to at Edward. Bella almost turned around to see if anyone had noticed their ruckus.

"What were you thinking? Bella is family!" Esme said.

"_Family_ doesn't betray one another!" Edward roared, and Bella assumed it was at both her and Emmett.

"Edward, please," Carlisle said, "you're not thinking rationally. Calm down before you do something you regret."

"I regret ever taking her home to my family." Edward bit out. "How could you do this to me? You're supposed to be my brother!"

"I want her to be happy!" Emmett replied.

"And you think she'll be happier with _you_?"

"Yes, I do!"

She wasn't worth it. Bella wasn't worth everyone always fighting over her. She'd never know what they saw in her, or why they liked her, but it was just too unbelievable. She didn't want to come between Edward and Emmett, and ruin their friendship. She didn't want them to hurt.

But how did she tell them all that? How did she get them to stop fighting because of her?

Maybe it would just be better if she left. It would kill her to do so, but maybe the Cullens would all be better off if she just wasn't there to cause them all their problems.

She stared at Emmett's strong back. They'd realize how silly they'd been to care so much about one plain, boring girl, and they'd move on. They'd be better for it.

So Bella left. She turned around and sloshed through the water back onto the sand. She heard commotion from the vampires, but she didn't look back to see what it was. She shivered as she walked up to the condo, her legs caked with sand, and slid the door open.

The air conditioning was harsh against her damp, barely-clothed skin. She persisted on, though, closing the door and wiping her legs off with a towel. She would go upstairs and pack, and tomorrow morning she would see what she could get to take her back to the Northwest.

As soon as she closed her bedroom door, she couldn't help crying. She tried to smother it by covering her mouth, so she wouldn't sob loud enough for them to hear outside. Bella hated how weak she always was. How pathetic.

Bella would go back to Forks High School, where she would graduate. From there she might go to college, although she didn't know what on Earth she'd study. Classic literature, perhaps. She'd make sure Jake knew that she viewed him as only a friend, and then she'd make more human friends. Normal friends, who had never worried about vampires coming to kill them before. Maybe she'd find a nice, normal, human boy, and they'd start dating. Bella would wait until college to date again. And everything would be nice. No worries of death.

Nice.

Her suitcase lied open on the bed, her clothes messily heaped into it. She slid down onto the floor, leaning against the bed. She closed her burning eyes and hiccupped.

She'd spent so long surrounded by supernatural beings; Bella didn't know how to live normally anymore.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it. For those of you who've been reading and haven't been reviewing, please, please review! It means a lot to me to hear (well, read...) what you guys think of my work. There will be two more chapters to this story, I think. Definitely my shortest-planned fanfiction, since I personally enjoy longer stories. But I thought it would be a nice little thing to write, where Bella finally comes to her darn senses! :D<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Bella hadn't heard the door open, and hadn't heard someone walk across the wooden floors. She yelped briefly when someone wrapped their arm around her shoulders.

"Bella, Bella, it's alright." Alice said with a smile.

The human girl sighed and visibly calmed, slumping into Alice's side, her head resting on the vampire's shoulder.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore." She said dejectedly.

"Why did you leave earlier?" Alice asked.

Bella shifted away from the other girl and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to huddle into herself. "I just... Everyone's fighting because of me. I cause so many problems, and everything would be better if I just left you guys alone." The words rushed out as Bella's eyes stung again.

She'd been in her room for hours, a suitcase half-packed, lying open on the wooden floor. Her back and butt were sore from sitting against the side of her bed, but she'd taken it, accepting the numbness.

"No, Bella," Alice said, "don't feel that way. You're one of my best friends."

"Why?" Bella asked. "Because I let you play dress-up with me? Because I do what people say? Because you get to have fun with a real live human?"

"Bella!"

She put her head on her arms. "I don't understand why any of you guys like me. I'm not worth the trouble."

"I can't see into the past," Alice started, looking ahead of them. "I don't know why you feel this way about yourself, what happened. But I do know that—human or vampire—you're one of my favorite people. You can never have too much family, and that's what you are to me. I couldn't care less if you were with Edward or single, I still love you."

Bella sniffled, pursing her lips together.

"And I believe that you can do anything you want to do. The sky's the limit—nothing can hold you back. You _are_ worth it, you _are_ good enough. I can't force you to believe anything that any of us say, but we all bother because we care, and we all care because you're special to us. You bring a certain light to our lives that grounds us, makes us feel real. It's easy to lose yourself when you're a vampire."

Alice smiled and stroked Bella's hair. "You make us almost human."

"Now, this is going to sound mean, but I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and unpack that hazardous suitcase. You can be a strong, independent, confident woman—just let yourself be. We all have reasons to be sad, but we have to get past those. We can't let our fears and insecurities run our lives."

Bella laughed at her bluntness, touched that she really did love her. That they all did, in their own way.

"What am I going to do now?

"Well, you're going to let me help you with that hair, because it is just plain awful. And then you are going to doll yourself up and live your life with your head held high. No apologies, no excuses. You are who you are and you're proud to be that way." Alice told her, sprouting up onto her feet and yanking Bella up to join her.

"But, what about—"

"Nope, nope, that's your decision to make. And you make it when you feel ready." Alice said.

Bella smiled and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I'm so sick of crying," she laughed. Alice joined her. "It feels like that's all I've done the past couple of days."

"And what a couple of days they've been." Alice mused.

"So nobody hates me?"

"Not a soul." Alice assured her.

"Not even Edward?"

"I don't think Edward could ever really hate you. He's just hurt right now. I can't promise that he'll ever be happy with this choice, but he'll learn to live with it."

Alice retrieved a brush to sort out Bella's hair, and they sat on her bed together, acting like the real teenage girls they were.

"I really didn't want to hurt him."

"I know. But there's no easy way to break news like that to someone."

Bella licked her lips. "I wish I could start the day over, and tell him by ourselves, personably. I hate that he had to find out like that."

"What's done is done. Please don't beat yourself up about it too much. Edward's lived a hundred years and he's been through a lot; he'll move past this."

"Well…you are the fortune teller."

Alice laughed. She brought the brush down a little harshly on a knot, causing Bella to cry out in surprise. "And don't you forget it."

They laughed together, and afterwards Alice helped Bella to unpack, and got her back into bed to sleep the sorrow off.

As Bella drifted off, she didn't think she'd ever been more grateful for the people in her life, and she vowed to show her appreciation more often.

* * *

><p>Bella woke up to find Emmett lying beside her on her bed. But it wasn't like when Edward would watch her sleep, which she now decided was kind of creepy. Emmett was flat on his back, his eyes closed. If his chest had been moving, he would have looked asleep. But as it was, it looked more like he had died during his sleep.<p>

"Emmett?" Bella whispered.

He groaned and turned on his side to face her, popping the eye farthest from the pillow open. "'Morning." He murmured. "I had the most wonderful dream."

Bella rolled her eyes. But she played along. "What was it about?" she asked.

"You." He said softly. "And me."

Her heart beat faster. She knew he could hear it. "What were we doing?"

"Trying to feed our thirty-seven cats."

Bella laughed first, and then Emmett's endearingly booming laughter followed close behind.

"Why did we have thirty-seven cats?" she asked, smiling so wide it hurt. But it felt good, too.

He shrugged with only the shoulder sticking up in the air. "I don't know. But it was really annoying, 'cause they kept clawing into me and the furniture and peeing everywhere."

Bella giggled again.

"And they kept hogging all of your attention. So while I was cleaning up the carpet of pee, and trying to stop myself from bleeding to real death, you were just lying on the couch, piled high with cats. It was like a cat blanket."

"Sounds cozy," Bella mused.

"And I was saying how it would be so much easier if we just turned them all into vampire cats. But you kept objecting, saying that then they'd be giving me even _more_ trouble. So I suggested that we give them to other people, as sort of 'Surprise! What you've always wanted! Another living being to have to take care of!' gifts, or just kill them all. And then you started threatening me that if I did that, you'd leave me for crazy James, who was randomly still alive in my dream. And I was like, 'Why do you care about them so freaking much?' and you were all: 'They're our children!' And then I told you that that was really sad, in a pathetic way, and you threw a cat at me and knocked me over onto the sea of pee. And it was really, really gross, because then all the cats flocked to me, and sunk their claws and teeth into me and started tearing me up, and I couldn't move, and the liquid was seeping into my flesh and it was so disgusting. And the entire time you were just laughing your little head off.

Bella grinned. "Poor Emmett," she cooed.

Emmett nodded in agreement. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at another cat the same way again."

"That's quite some dream you had there. I can see why you didn't want to wake up."

"It was nice, though." He said. "When I wasn't mixing blood and urine together unwillingly, and you weren't hurdling cats at me like a pro and laughing at my pain, that is."

"Why was it nice, then?" she asked, curious.

"Because it was just you and me. Well, and thirty-seven demon cats. But other than them, it was just us two, and that was nice."

Bella took a shaky breath. "It's just us two now."

Emmett gave her a small smile. "And now's really, really nice."

"I don't want to go out there." She whispered, after a moment of silence.

"Edward left for Forks while you were sleeping." He told her.

"I'll have to face him sooner or later."

"Are you scared?"

Bella nodded, a tear in the corner of her eye.

Emmett wiggled closer to her, so that their bodies were very close. But he hadn't touched her.

"It's okay to be scared," he said. "But I want you to know that nothing will happen to you. No one would let it." He leaned his head in, and their foreheads touched. "You won't be alone. Because I'll be right there, for whenever you need me."

"Why?" Bella breathed.

"I love you." Emmett said easily. "I don't know when I started, but I know I can't stop."

Bella was silent. She didn't know how to feel about this. She was happy that Emmett was there for her; she felt more safe and comfortable with him than she ever had with Edward. But she'd only just started finding herself, and she couldn't promise him with something like love. She needed to breathe first.

"I don't expect an answer. I just wanted you to know."

"But…what about Rosalie?"

"We've always been together, because the other was just…there. But it was more like for the sake of being with someone else. She had just come from a life and a betrayal that she wanted to forget, and I was able to help her with that. We'd grown a gradual love, but it was different from how I feel about you. I can't explain it. I'll probably always care about her, but I don't want to be with her. And she knows this. She understands it, because she feels the same way. In the beginning, she wasn't ready to love again. She didn't want love. So what we had was good. But she's moved on, and she deserves to find someone to spend the years to come with." Emmett explained.

"So I don't have to worry about her coming to dismember me in my sleep?" Bella asked. She and Rosalie had become friendlier, but they still weren't good friends.

Emmett chuckled. "No. And she wouldn't be able to even if she tried."

Bella could hear her heartbeat in her ears. "Because you'll be there?"

He smiled sweetly. "Because I'll be there."

It was silent for a few minutes, and Bella's eyes began to droop. She had just closed them when Emmett spoke again, in as quiet a whisper as she would be able to understand.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

She nodded slightly.

"I think Rose has something for one of the Volturies."

Bella's eyes instantly opened as wide as saucers. "Who?" She whispered in shock.

"I'm not too sure…two of the leaders have wives, and I don't think it's the third one… Maybe a guard?" Emmett whispered back.

"Wow."

There was another minute of silence. And then Emmett snapped his fingers. He seemed to have forgotten about keeping quiet, too excited that he'd remembered, because he blurted the next word out at a fairly normal level: "Demetri!"

"Emmett!" They heard Rosalie shriek from somewhere else in the house.

"Oops," Emmett said, before laughing hard. Bella joined him. She noticed for the first time that his laughter filled her with an unnamable warmth.

After their laughter had subsided, they just lied there on their sides, smiling lightly at each other.

"Bella?" He asked. She raised her eyebrows in response. "Can I… I know that last night was a lot for you, and it's okay if you're not ready. I mean, I don't want to force anything onto you like last time, and I want you to like me, so of course I'm going to ask this time. It would be really nice if you said yes—nicer than my dream, even—but you don't have to. I don't want you to feel forced or anything, and—"

"Emmett," Bella said, amused more than impatient at his rambling, because it was just too adorable. "What is it?"

"Can I kiss you?" He breathed out.

She smiled at him. "Yes," she said.

His grin made her heart swell with warmth. He leaned in slowly, and soon his lips covered hers. It was a soft, gentle kiss, but while Edward's soft kisses had always been feather-light and careful, Emmett's lips were pressed firmly against hers. He kissed her like he was savoring it, trying to make it last longer than they both knew it would.

This was happening so soon after her indefinite separation from Edward, but she felt happy. Bella felt confident that she would be able to discover who she was—who she was without Edward—and that she'd be all the more happier from it. She knew that when she asked, Emmett would agree to taking things slow. After her flurry-romance with Edward, slow was good.

And she knew that, if she asked him to change her, he would say yes.

"Yes" was beginning to sound like a very lovely word.

* * *

><p><strong>And here we are, at the end of the story. Man it was short. I liked it though, it was fun to write. Amazing how it took me forever to write even such a short story. To be fair, though, I had the second part of this chapter written a long time ago, it was just the first part that I couldn't figure out until I sat down and just forced my fingers to move. I'm not sure how I feel about the first part, but hopefully it's alright. I think the second part is cute. :D<strong>

**This is the end of the story, but I'll include a deleted scene/bonus-esque chapter soon. It was supposed to be chapter one, but got rewritten. I'll include the original, though, so that you can catch Bella and Emmett in every cute scene I write of them.**

**Hope you enjoyed the story! I can tell you one thing for sure-I'm glad to be finished (or nearly finished) with a story for once. Now there's an achievement!**


	5. Extra

**Yes. This story did originally start as a first person. This piece not being third person is not an accident.**

* * *

><p>Emmett gave me a mischievous, evil grin that I immediately decided I didn't like. He placed his large hands on my slender hips and hoisted me up.<p>

I gave an embarrassing, squeal-like shriek as he gently tossed me off into the water. My entire body submerged into it.

Bobbing back up to the surface I gasped in air and splashed Emmett with water. "You big jerk." I said playfully. It struck me with a pang, how I could act this way with him and Jake, but would never even dream to do so with Edward.

"Why thank you," he replied, winking at me.

Before, I had always taken his winks and smirks and grins as teasing and as a means to embarrass me, all in good nature. Something about this wink was different, though. Maybe because he was only in a pair of black swim trunks, and his many muscles were gleaming with more muscles. As the light of the setting sun hit him just so, he sparkled just like Edward did. But whereas Edward was impossibly beautiful, Emmett was like the epitome of sexiness. It was amazing how much difference two years—and, of course, a lot of muscles—could make when they made one a boy and the other a man.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I noticed that Emmett had caught me staring and ogling him in all his shirtless glory.

"Mesmerized by my manliness, Bella?" he asked jokingly, his smile causing his dimples to show and his eyes to shine. How had I never thought of Emmett like this before?

I shouldn't have told him the truth, but I was too dazed to reply otherwise. "Yes," I whispered, suddenly dismayed when his smile faded.

"Why did you have to say that, Bella?" Emmett asked quietly, his face suddenly far too serious and solemn.

I apologized and he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. His awkwardness made him irritatingly even more attractive.

I moved some of my hair behind my ears, suddenly regretting this entire thing. What was I doing out here, having fun and inappropriate thoughts about my boyfriend's "brother?" Edward could read minds, so he'd be able to find out what had happened in no time from Emmett's mind…if he didn't already know.

My body stiffened instinctually at the thought, and I waited for the terror to start gnawing at me. Only it never came. No guilt, no fear, no self-loathing. Nothing—not a thing.

Except a desire to get closer.

I blinked at the bold whim of my body. A whim that caused my insides to tighten and warm and just be…happy.

"Emmett?" I asked hesitantly.

He looked up at me, and his eyes were gorgeous. It was amazing how once I started to notice him I just couldn't stop. It was hitting me all at once—everything. I had to blame it on my teenage hormones; I just had to. This was only my body reacting to an attractive male who was paying me attention. I couldn't let myself think that I was having cheating thoughts on purpose.

I licked my lips, tasting the salt water on them. Emmett stiffened and stood at attention. I didn't know what he was thinking, or if I even wanted to know.

"Can they hear us right now? The others?"

He knew who I really meant was Edward.

Emmett shook his head, his hands balling into fists. "No, we're too far away and there're too many other noises around." He told me.

I looked around us, and he was at least right about one thing. We had managed to somehow drift much farther from the condo than I had thought. If I squinted, maybe that was it over there?

"Why?" He asked warily.

Licking my lips again, I turned my eyes back to him, catching his own. I cleared my throat and crossed my arms underneath my chest.

"I don't…" I took a deep breath and started again. "I don't know what's going on right now, within me. You have no idea how much I want to do something bad, something I know I shouldn't. It might be best if we…if we either part or go back to the others."

I couldn't look at him now, too embarrassed. I could feel heat in my face, and knew that I was probably as red as a cherry.

He wasn't as graceful as Edward. Which was comforting. Either that or he wanted me to hear him as he moved through the water at a human pace. When he was right in front of me, it was even harder to bring myself to look up at him.

This was humiliating. I'd basically spelled out in big letters that this "bad" thing had to do with him. He was married to stunning Rosalie, and I had perfect Edward.

Emmett's chilled hand tilted my chin up.

Except maybe I didn't want perfect anymore, especially when I would never live up to it. Never match him. I couldn't count how many times I thought Edward was too good for me, or would be better off without me. I didn't want to blame myself for something I couldn't control.

Maybe we just weren't a good fit.

I glanced up into Emmett's golden eyes, clear and lovely. Looking into them, I felt like I could see into his soul. He hid nothing from me. Had he ever?

"Will you promise not to be upset if I do something right now?" He asked, nervous. I thought it was cute, that he—intimidating, powerful, teasing—could be nervous. And I had even just called him cute, when I'm sure every other woman would consider him much more than that.

"I can't promise you the unknown." I told him, surprisingly sounding somewhat levelheaded. Meanwhile my body wanted to tell him that I would promise him anything and I would never be upset. I took in a deep breath to settle it, but being so close to Emmett, I inadvertently got a whiff of him. I think my knees actually wobbled under the water.

"Just…please don't be upset." He looked so sweet, and unsure of himself. "And if you try to push me away or anything, I'll let you. It's okay to do that, if you want."

I tried not to believe it—didn't want to get my impossible, terrible hopes up—but I couldn't help but guess where this might be going. I wanted to be right so badly, but I also wanted to be wrong just as much.

Or, well, nearly as much.

I nodded slowly, as if a daze had suddenly overcome me. "I'll try."

He nodded as well, before picking up my hand and running the fingertips of his much larger fingers over its skin. When I made no move to pull away—honestly, I was just too breathless from the shock of it—he guided it to his back, bringing him much closer to me. He took my other hand and did the same.

Emmett showed no signs of an internal struggle with hunger, as Edward always had. He surprisingly seemed much more in control, his eyes even staying bright and golden. And he'd never even really touched me before, either. I was impressed.

He had a big frame, so my arms surrounding him brought me nearly flush against his chest. I was confident I was about to hyperventilate any second now. One more move, one more inch closer, and that would do it.

This was it. I should pull away. Push him away. Anything. I knew I couldn't just be still and let this happen. But the more I thought about it, the less connected to my body I felt, the further away from this situation I was.

He wrapped his arms around my shoulder and pulled me into him, in a hug.

A hug? Well…this wasn't so bad. No, this was fine. Hugs were perfectly platonic and innocent.

The coiling of my stomach, however, wasn't.

"You're so warm," he breathed into my hair, hugging me closer, his breath tickling my neck and ear. It was snug, but it didn't hurt. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his cold chest.

He chuckled. "I can feel your heart beating." Emmett said, sounding awed. I tightened—that was exactly the sort of thing I was dreading.

Emmett pulled back and looked at me, smiling, with his dimples and crinkled eyes. He must have felt it speed up.

We began swaying back and forth, like we were dancing in the water that was up to my navel.

"Hey, Emmett?" I asked timidly, the beginning of an idea forming in my mind. I bit back my grin and hoped I just looked shy.

"Yeah?" He asked, stopping the swaying. He still looked happy, and I marveled at how I caused that.

"Close your eyes." I told him.

An eyebrow rose on his face, and he gave me a look—like he was trying to figure out what I was up to.

"Come on," I prompted him, smiling now, hoping to reassure him.

He complied. "Alright," he said. "But you better not give me a wet-willy or anything. I can throw you a lot farther than I have…"

"Relax." I told him smoothly. "Let your body relax."

Emmett grinned, and I could feel heat rush to my face as I imagined he would probably like to wink right now.

I gently removed my arms from Emmett and his hands from me.

Stepping back a little bit, trying to quiet the movement of the water around me as much as I could, I bent my knees slightly and readied myself.

Deep breath. One. Two. Three.

I sprung up and slammed into his body, propelling us both into the water below. We emerged with my hands on his shoulders and a daring look in his eyes. His hair was finally wet, and he shook it out like a dog.

I wondered what he would be like if he was a wolf like Jake.

I backed away from him as he advanced slowly towards me, like a predator would his prey. "Emmett," I said warningly, finding myself walking into deeper water.

With my luck, I happened to slip and slide under. Emmett pulled me back up and to his chest, supporting my weight entirely as my feet no longer touched the bottom. I wrapped my arms around his neck to make sure that I'd stay afloat and he wouldn't drop me. Or throw me viciously.

His arms firmly around my waist, I realized how close I was to his face. I tried to swallow, but my throat was suddenly dry, from a combination of salt water and nerves.

Hyperventilating was definitely in my foreseeable future now.

I was suddenly glad for his grip, because my body couldn't concentrate on staying afloat when his supple lips pressed firmly against mine.

* * *

><p><strong>And here's the extra I promised you guys. And now the story is fully done. The first few paragraphs of this "chapter" were the original chapter one, but were taken out. I wanted to include it somehow, however, so I expanded on it and here it is. :) Finally, a story completed. I feel accomplished.<strong>


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